Chiara Gigli is 25, comes from Rome and spent six months in JinShan, on the outskirts of Shanghai, on the Dragon programme. She left right after her master’s degree and is now one of the Nice Ambassadors.
Who Chiara is
“I’m an interpreter and translator in the making, English and Chinese. I chose to leave after my master’s to consolidate and improve my Chinese, and to live an authentic experience of a place I had already visited twice but only ever as a student. I love discovering new places, Disney and Harry Potter.”
Her experience with Nice Exchange
From the very first follow-up call they made me feel understood. Everything is built on working together, you are never on your own: if something goes wrong, the first step is always to talk directly with the family. At Nice I found a safe base that let me throw myself in and go beyond my limits, growing both personally and in the language.
What she would tell someone thinking about it
She does not sugar-coat it: “it is a unique and beautiful experience, but not for everyone. You need a strong ability to adapt and you have to be ready to face plenty of difficulties. But you must stay positive and focused on your goals: China has so much to offer, and no path without obstacles lets you grow this much.”
And if she had to convince someone in one line: “if you want to live the real China, understand what Chinese people are actually like and test yourself at a laughably small cost, this is what you are looking for.”
Quick questions
❤️ Best memory
Shanghai Disneyland
🍜 Favourite Chinese dish
生煎包子
🏙️ The place that stayed with her
The Bund in Shanghai, in the evening
🎯 The most important thing she brings home
An inner strength she did not know she had
🈶 A Chinese word
自在
🗣️ A Chinese phrase
多吃一点
自在 means “being at ease with yourself”, relying on your own strength: “and that is exactly what I learned”. She picked 多吃一点 — “eat a little more” — because it is the phrase she heard the most.
Chiara is a Nice Ambassador
For her, being an Ambassador means “being a point of reference for anyone who wants to go as an exchange student, as well as sharing the opportunities China offers and representing the organisation”.
She can help you with: life with the host family, travelling in China, cultural adaptation.
Her advice, in one line: “don’t rush to leave, choose the family carefully”.
Chiara is a Nice Ambassador: if you apply with her personal code you get 5% off the programme fee.
Her codeCHIARA05
